We are all entrepreneurs of our own lives. We make the choices that create our direction in both work and our personal lives. We set our goals, create our strategies, and then manage our time to achieve the goals.
Whether we are employed or an independent, time is our main tool during which we apply our skills. If we are an independent, we have a service or product that has to be delivered to customers in some way and we need to attract those customers.
If we are employed, we have skills that have to be delivered to assist the employer in accomplishing his Mission. In this case, we have negotiated for the payment of our skills and time and are measured for our success.
Successful people take either situation as a challenge and bring all their energy to meet the challenge and face the resistance that usually exists. For those whose work is their passion, the path is easier than for those who don’t like their situation or are just doing it for the money.
One way to develop passion is to develop great skill for our tasks. As we go through the learning process, we keep achieving and becoming more adept which makes us feel purposeful. If we are making a contribution to our organization, to our customers, or to make the world a better place, our enthusiasm is supercharged.
When we are thriving, our work becomes our pleasure. It is difficult to feel like we are thriving if we are not enthusiastic or passionate about either our work or our personal lives. If we have balanced our time to be productive in both, we have the optimum experience.
Our time management should be focused on the most important activities for our work and personal progress. I have one word that describes my overall goal and then four words that break that goal into smaller goals. My one word is self-actualization. I am always trying to be better.
My four smaller goals are health, learning, creativity, and contribution. The idea of contribution is a star for which all the other time management activities can shoot for. In my early days of making a major health transformation, I started blogging on my success with guidance for others. This felt very purposeful and rewarding. The books on the topic lead to other books and coaching to expand my influence and therefore contribution.
Health keeps me balanced. It includes nutrition, exercise, relaxation, and sleep plus drinking lots of water. I can’t make my best contribution without being in the best possible physical, emotional, and mental states.
Creativity is how I share my contribution. I write, podcast, and coach with the focus on how I can make meaningful insights. I both teach surfing and consult on thriving and both need constant evaluation and insights on how to make the most impact.
Learning is a constant. We have to be learning to self-actualize, improve our skills, and make a meaningful contribution. If we can’t learn about our work because we are already experts, we should be learning about something that is personally interesting and rewarding to us.
We are in charge our lives and have to be the leader of our choices. Customers and employers are at the effect of our decisions. That is, they benefit from how we direct our lives and our work ethic. We are the center of the influence we create. As Stephen Covey says, we begin with our interior and manifest outward.
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As a Thriving Worker Consultant, I can engage in conversations with employers on how to begin the process of helping workers thrive and reach peak performance. It begins with a conversation to see how far an organization is willing to go to change the culture for workers.
Great practices for daily living can be learned with the Markap Series of Books. If your organization would like live presentations or Zoom meetings, they can be arranged for small to large groups.
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